RICHMOND, Va. (January 29, 2020) — Dominion Energy reaffirmed today its commitment to hiring a skilled union workforce by agreeing to negotiate a Project Labor Agreement with three of the nation’s leading building and construction trade unions.

Dominion Energy along with the Virginia State Building and Construction Trades Council, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the Laborer’s International Union of North America (LiUNA!) Mid-Atlantic Region announced plans to negotiate a Project Labor Agreement, whether directly or through the relevant contractor, to perform the onshore electrical interconnection work for the first stage of the company’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind commercial project, the largest announced offshore wind project in the Western Hemisphere, located 27 miles off the Virginia Beach coast.

“IBEW, the Building and Construction Trades, and LiUNA! have already worked closely with our team on some of the most complex projects in our history. The union commitment to safety, excellence, and creating well-paying jobs with good benefits aligns with our values,” said Thomas F. Farrell, II, Dominion Energy Chairman, President and CEO. “We look forward to working with our union partners on delivering the jobs, environmental and economic benefits of Virginia renewable energy to the Commonwealth.”

“Our affiliates at the Virginia State Building and Construction Trades Council look forward to working with Dominion on this new and exciting sector of Virginia’s energy portfolio,” said Jason Parker, President of the Virginia State Building and Construction Trades Council. “Our commitment to Virginia’s future, economy, and the well-being of our state’s resources, animals, and habitats make us the right partners for Dominion on this complicated yet rewarding project.”

“We welcome this announcement that further solidifies our strong partnership with Dominion Energy and will ensure Virginia’s offshore wind development, will promote strong labor standards for development, offer quality job opportunities for Virginia residents, provide safe and highly-skilled labor for project sponsors, and ultimately deliver affordable power to customers,” said Sean McGarvey, President of North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU).

“When LiUNA! partners with Dominion, we create affordable energy, but in the process, we create family-supporting jobs for Virginia’s working families,” said Dennis L. Martire, LiUNA! Mid-Atlantic Vice President and Regional Manager. “Offshore wind needs to provide those same opportunities, and that’s where LiUNA! brings specialized training for local residents, who will earn a living wage with benefits. There’s no need to choose between green energy and good jobs, and we are committed to making sure Virginians obtain both on this ground-breaking project.”

“The IBEW is pleased to continue our partnership with Dominion Energy and the respective crafts of the Virginia State Building Trades Council in the formation of a Project Labor Agreement covering the fabrication, assembly, transportation and installation of the nation’s largest planned offshore wind farm,” said Lonnie R. Stephenson, International President, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. “This project will provide affordable, reliable, renewable energy for years to come. The use of local, skilled tradesmen and women will ensure that the project is built and installed to world class standards of safety, efficiency and quality.”

Dominion Energy and skilled craft labor have worked together for many years on traditional energy projects and are extending this long-standing partnership to renewable energy. The company is the nation’s fourth largest utility operator of solar energy and is helping Virginia become a leader in U.S. offshore wind development. 

About Dominion Energy
More than 7 million customers in 18 states energize their homes and businesses with electricity or natural gas from Dominion Energy (NYSE: D), headquartered in Richmond, Va. The company is committed to sustainable, reliable, affordable and safe energy and is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy with more than $100 billion of assets providing electric generation, transmission and distribution, as well as natural gas storage, transmission, distribution and import/export services. The company expects to cut generating fleet carbon dioxide emissions 55 percent by 2030 and reduce methane emissions from its gas assets 50 percent by 2030. Please visit DominionEnergy.com to learn more.

About Virginia State Building and Construction Trades Council

The Virginia State Building and Construction Trades Council represents 8,000 workers in all the building and construction trades disciplines. Granted charter by the Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO in 1967, we are a council of trade unionist who have dedicated our careers to improving the lives of the men and women who work and live in the State of Virginia.

About NABTU

North America’s Building Trades Unions is an alliance of 14 national and international unions in the building and construction industry that collectively represent over 3 million skilled craft professionals in the United States and Canada. Each year, our unions and our signatory contractor partners invest over $1 billion in private-sector money to fund and operate over 1,900 apprenticeship training and education facilities across North America that produce the safest, most highly trained, and productive skilled craft workers found anywhere in the world. NABTU is dedicated to creating economic security and employment opportunities for its construction workers by safeguarding wage and benefits standards, promoting responsible private capital investments, investing in renown apprenticeship and training, and creating pathways to the middle class for women, communities of color and military veterans in the construction industry. www.nabtu.org

About LiUNA! Mid-Atlantic

The Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA!) Mid-Atlantic Region represents more than 40,000 working men and women predominantly in the construction industry in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, the District of Columbia, Virginia and North Carolina.

About the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) represents approximately 750,000 active members and retirees who work in a wide variety of fields, including utilities, construction, telecommunications, broadcasting, manufacturing, railroads and government.